Renowned journalist, Sesan Adeniji has given insights on the evolution of Nigerian music pre slave trade era and the era of returnee musicians. In an interview with Simple TV/Magazine, he shed light on the birth of highlife up to the influence of the hip-hop generation. 

His words: “When we began to domesticate the various sound influences we were consuming, the evolution of our music grew faster, and the sound resonated with a more diverse audience.”

One of the connoisseurs of Afrobeats, being on the cover of Simple magazine’s August 2022 online edition tagged ‘A Journalist At The Forefront Of Afrobeats Evolution’ gives credence to this fact.

 “When jazz and ballroom became domesticated with the inclusion of our local instruments, the likes of Bobby Benson and Fela rose to stardom with Highlife and Afrobeat. As the music evolved, more influences came in, and we witnessed the rise of Fuji, Waka, Pop, African Reggae, and Raggamuffin superstars. Likewise, when hip-hop was domesticated, artists with various undercurrents became famous. With these fusions and beats tagged under the umbrella name ‘Afrobeats’, the brand Afrobeats became a cultural phenomenon.” he disclosed.

As Associate Producer, researcher, and co-director of the ‘Journey Of The Beats’ Afrobeats documentary showing on Showmax, he’s one of the most revered custodians of Nigerian Music History.

“It is important to tell these stories to the world in a manner devoid of selective amnesia. I am glad to be alive to see what Afrobeats has become”. he enthused.

Sesan’s influence in the Nigerian music industry spans over twenty years. For eleven years, he was the Managing Editor of Bubbles Magazine, with a penchant for chasing facts and assembling historical editorials and artifacts. In 2011, he became the Executive Producer of Mystreetz TV, the first music documentary channel aired on terrestrial TV in Nigeria and launched Mystreetz Magazine in 2012. 

Sesan is one of the best investigative journalists in the country, with a good ear for music, a keen eye for talents and an unbiased journalistic instinct. As a radio music analyst, he was co-host on Cool 96.9FM for Martell Cognac’s House Of Martell Entertainment. He was one of the early judges during the 2020 MTN Yello Star competition. Wearing the hat of a PR Strategist, Sesan has worked with Fireboy DML, Idahams, and recently with Basketmouth. He’s presently working on scripting some Afrobeats biopics and has attended several music award shows including the MTV Europe Music Awards, Channel O Music Video Awards and Ghana Music Awards.